Skip to main content

My Plans

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.
Proverbs 16:3 NIV

I was looking through various translations of Proverbs 16:3. I found that I received each one differently. For as long as I can remember, I have considered this as a verse that makes me think of success. If I commit my actions to God, He will be in my plans. Almost like God is some sort of genie in a bottle. It's a transaction based understanding. If I do A, God will do B for me and B happens to be something I planned out.  

The New Living Translation seems to support my understanding as it says, "Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed." Essentially, if I commit MY actions to God, MY plans will succeed. I seem to be the central focus of this approach.  

There seems to be a flaw in my understanding. If I am the one whose plans are being fulfilled, how can my actions honor God? If I were to truly commit my actions to God, could I still have my own plans? If whatever I do is for God, shouldn't my plans really be the same as His plans? Can I have plans that are my own if I have truly surrendered fully to God?

Usually when I read the King James Version of the Bible I walk away confused. Old English is tough for me to comprehend. However, in this case the KJV has been key. It says, "Commit thy works unto the LORD, And thy thoughts shall be established." The other versions speak about plans, but this version speaks about thoughts. That makes sense. If my actions are intentional for God, my thoughts will be for Him too.  

Think about it from the perspective of a project around the house. Maybe it is Saturday and you are going to do a deep clean of the house or you are building a new shed. That day your actions will be focused on that project. It consumes your thoughts and plans. Or maybe you are planning a vacation. It takes over your thoughts and plans. You may change your budget because you want to save for vacation or you decide to work overtime to earn more for this trip you are excited about. The vacation consumed your actions and your thoughts.  

God wants us to be the same with Him. He wants us to be consumed by Him. As we commit our actions to Him, He takes over our thoughts. His plans become ours. This is not a transactional relationship He is calling us into, but an overwhelming infiltration. God wants our hearts to be filled with Him. He wants our actions and thoughts to show this. 

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Anchor House: Week 6 Buried Treasure

When I started at Anchor House I committed to write at least one blog per week. Writing is something I enjoy and a way I get to interact with God. I can recall wanting to write about Anchor House in the days before I started, but my knowledge was limited..  To be honest I felt like I knew three things before I joined Anchor House. First,  Anchor House was a mission at Port Manatee (the Seaport, not the jail) Second, I knew it was a mission that my church, Westside Christian Church, supported with our Show Love funds.  Third, I knew God was calling me to serve Him there. However, what happened at Anchor House day to day was something of a mystery to me.   After being here for a few weeks I have learned quite a bit. I know where to look to find out when ships are coming in or departing.  I have learned that I am just tall enough to hit my head where most seafarers don’t. I have learned that flexibility is the key to serving at a seaport. One of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Welcome Children

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to Him, and placed the child among them. And He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." - Matthew 18:1‭-‬5 NIV This past Sunday was simply life-giving at Westside Christian Church. The energy and excitement were palatable. My daughter couldn't wait to get to church. She was excited to worship with her friends and have fun together afterwards.   With the VBS takeover, the church was packed! Sure there were a few seats open, but there was a line of people standing in the back. It is safe to say it was "standing room only". Fitting with the story of Zacchaeus that Pastor Russ shared.   Jes...
Post a Comment
Read more

On Mission

 Have you ever done something for many, many years? When you've done things for a long time, you create habits and ways of doing things. Your body learns to run on autopilot. You may have experienced it before. Have you ever driven somewhere that you go to frequently and not been sure about the journey there? Something else was on your mind and muscle memory just took over. Voila! You were at your destination. Doing things over and over again makes an indentation on us that lasts a while.  For the past 16 ½ years I have driven 5-7 days per week to the college for work. Monday, I will take another path to work. God has called me to serve His people in His ministry. Rather than traveling south to the college, I'll head north to the Port of Manatee for my first day as Executive Director/Chaplain at Anchor House Mission. I first learned of the mission at our church as it was highlighted as a mission we support regularly. At that time, I had no idea that God was t...
2 comments
Read more